A Very SOS Year at the San Juan Islands National Monument

Hello.  I am back working at the San Juan Islands National Monument for my second year.  Last year I spent most of my time doing botanical surveys following the AIM strategy (Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring).  This year I am very happy to be handling our Seeds of Success program.

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Cerastium arvense at Kellet Bluff, San Juan Islands National Monument

Seeds of Success is almost completely new to the San Juan Islands.  Before last summer neither I nor the full time employees of our office had a clear understanding of the program.  That changed when I attended the Chicago Botanic Garden’s CLM intern workshop.  Hearing from Peggy Olwell and Meagan Haidet, I was inspired by what I learned about SOS and was more than keen to get a collection team started for our islands.  Luckily, my mentor shared my interest once I told her more about the program and she was able to get funding to start collecting.  (this was supposed to be a heartwarming ‘we interns can make a difference’ story but apparently I am not pulling it off).

Anyway, I started working for San Juan SOS two weeks ago and have been intensely busy since.  Week one was spent at the National Native Seed Conference in Santa Fe, where I met a number of incredible people, learned a hundred things about seed, and spent days generally not knowing what I was talking about.  Week two I have been meeting with partners, making lists, visiting sites, and teaching school children about monitoring.  All while still knowing minimally what I’m talking about.

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The most rewarding part of the past week was talking to a group of 5th graders from our local school.  I am by no means a  skilled educator or kid wrangler, but it is amazing to see and help children think critically about the natural world around them.

 

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